Warren’s POVBella appeared at the end of the aisle, and the crowd erupted in soft oohs and aahs. The music swelled, cameras lifted. But I barely gave her a glance. My eyes were already drawn back elsewhere.Vienna’s eyes glistened as she watched her best friend walk toward forever. She looked ethereal tonight. The kind of beauty that didn’t just turn heads… it stopped time. While everyone else was distracted by the bride, my eyes drank her in shamelessly. Tracing the elegant line of her neck, the curve of her waist beneath the silky fabric. God, I wanted her. I needed her.Earlier, seeing her with Fred and Oliver had nearly gutted me. They’d looked like some picture-perfect little family. But then… my father’s words had knocked the wind out of me."Oliver looks exactly like you did at that age, son," he’d murmured, his voice low enough for only me to hear. "Vienna’s eyes, sure—but everything else… like two drops of water."I’d turned to him, stunned. "You’re serious?"He’d met my ga
Vienna’s POVI stood in Bella’s bridal dressing room, admiring her as she twirled in front of the full-length mirror. The silk of her gown caught the light, making her look like she was literally glowing."Oh my goodness, you look incredible, Bell," I breathed, a smile tugging at my lips. "I can’t believe my best friend is getting married today!"She laughed, a mix of nerves and joy. "I know, right? It’s wild."Then she turned toward me, and that mischievous smirk of hers appeared. "Sooo… what’s the latest development with Warren? Did he ever reply to that drunk text?"I froze, my cheeks flushing. "He did, actually. And… I saw him a few days ago."Her eyes widened like I’d just confessed to murder. "What?! I thought you were gonna wait until the wedding. Unless…" Her smile deepened and she nudged me with an elbow. "Don’t tell me…""It’s not what you think, Bell," I said, rolling my eyes. "He just… came to warn me about Desiree. She showed up and held him at gunpoint, forcing him to gi
Warren’s POV"Shit, she heard me," Vince’s voice dropped to a whisper so low I almost thought I imagined it."What?!" I hissed into the phone, every muscle in my body going rigid."She’s walking toward me as we speak," he murmured, barely above a breath now."Get the hell out of there!" My voice shot up. "Now, Vince. Move!"What followed was a frantic symphony of crunching leaves and snapping twigs. My grip on the phone was so tight I might snap it.Five agonizing minutes later—five minutes where I pictured Vienna’s wide-eyed face staring straight at the man I’d hired to shadow her—I finally heard the slam of a car door and the roar of an engine."All good, boss," Vince said, breathless. "She didn’t see me."I exhaled hard, pinching the bridge of my nose. "What the hell, Vince? That was way too damn close.""Sorry, boss. I swear the wind must’ve turned and carried my voice. I was on the far side of the garden, behind the hedge.""You’re supposed to be invisible," I snapped, leaning bac
Vienna’s POVCélestine let out a long, trembling sigh, her fingers knotting in the folds of her boho dress. "When I first met you, Vienna… it was the Halloween party. You were wearing a mask. Half your face was hidden, but your eyes…" She hesitated, studying me. "They looked familiar. And when you told me you were from Kingsford, I was surprised. Curious. But I didn’t even dare to dream it could be… you. My daughter."Her voice softened to almost a whisper. "But then, on Christmas Eve, I saw your face for the first time. I tried to hide my reaction, to disguise my trembling hands as some symptom of illness. But inside—" She pressed a palm to her chest—"inside, I felt as though I’d been dropped into the past. Like I was staring into a mirror, only the reflection was my younger self…"I sat frozen, my pulse pounding in my ears. "So you knew then," I said slowly."I… suspected. No—" her voice cracked—"I knew. I knew it had to be you. But I was paralyzed. Completely shocked. And then… t
Vienna’s POVCélestine took the armchair opposite me, her long dress swishing as she sat. She smoothed the fabric over her knees with nervous fingers."I’m here, Vienna," she said quietly, almost as if she feared I might send her away. "What… what would you like to know?"I let out a short, bitter laugh. "Everything." My voice was cold, clipped."How the hell could you abandon your own daughter? And why—" my voice cracked, but I forced it steady again, "—why did you keep it from me when you found out who I was?"Her lips pressed together. She gave a small, resigned nod. "I will tell you everything, Vienna. From the very beginning."I leaned back, arms crossed, heart thudding in my chest."It still feels like yesterday," she murmured, gaze drifting past me to some invisible place in the past. "I was young… naive… and desperately poor. When Harold—the love of my life, my one chance at a decent future—left me because his parents disapproved… I thought my world had ended. I’d just found o
Vienna’s POVAfter Warren had shown up at the restaurant last night and warned me about Desiree, I just couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched. Even at home, every shadow seemed alive. Every flicker of movement outside the window made my heart skip a beat. I kept catching glimpses of something in the corner of my eye—a silhouette in the garden, a figure slipping behind the hedge. Could it be Desiree or one of her sidekicks, creeping closer to get their revenge? Or was it just my imagination running wild?I double-checked the locks, peered out through the blinds. Earlier this morning, I even thought I heard footsteps in the hallway, only to realize it was Oliver rolling his toy car across the floor."Am I losing my mind?" I muttered to myself.Clearly, I was. Because other than the shadows, there was also… Warren. Somehow, I just couldn’t get him out of my head. He could’ve been killed last night. And the first thing he did afterward was make sure I was safe. I mean, sure,